"Cloud Chasm” Developing Between US and UK Enterprises

Redwood Software, the enterprise process automation provider, has today revealed research into how US and UK companies use and view automation and cloud computing*.

The results revealed not only a difference of opinion in the cloud as a platform, but also very different usage patterns, with the US leading the way in cloud adoption:

• 35% of UK businesses are already using the cloud for private data storage, as opposed to 58% of US businesses
• 24% of UK businesses are using the cloud for capacity management, compared to 47% in the US
• About half as many UK organizations have considered a more integrated supply chain using the cloud, versus those in the US (41% vs 81%)
• Twice as many US organizations are using the cloud to handle the automation of their business processes (30% compared to 14% in the UK)

Of respondents who were not using the cloud to manage business process automation, only 14% of US businesses felt that it wouldn’t give them enough control—compared to 27% of UK businesses—highlighting our British cousins’ trepidation in adopting the technology. Instead, it was “lack of resources” that the US cited as the top reason for not utilizing cloud technology in this way (28%).

US businesses were on the whole found to be more positive about the benefits of cloud, citing “improved agility in supporting business needs” (71%), “faster ROI” (57%) and “reduced labor costs” (45%) as their the top benefits for adoption (compared to more restrained UK figures of 47%, 36% and 29% respectively).

“American organizations seem to be worlds ahead in their knowledge, usage and confidence in the cloud,” said Tijl Vuyk, CEO at Redwood Software. “What will be interesting to see is whether this is a sign of things to come for UK businesses, and whether the perceived barriers to cloud adoption can be overcome. It will also be fascinating to monitor the timelines involved with this change in mindset, and whether the UK will ever catch up to the US or whether the US will continue to lead.”

* Research carried out by Vanson Bourne in Q4 2012 across 200 US and 100 UK organizations with over 1,000 employees

About Redwood Software:

Redwood is Enterprise Process Automation. Our approach to automation is driven by business requirements to improve process efficiency, agility, compliance and control. For 20 years we've automated what matters most to our customers. Through our growing partner ecosystem and Automated Process Packages (APPs), we deliver Process-as-a-Service solutions with the first enterprise-class cloud automation platform, RunMyJobs (www.runmyjobs.com).

Our unparalleled ability to connect applications from any vendor or source makes us the automation partner of choice for the some of the best known names in IT. Redwood is the only strategic automation partner with SAP® AG. Our automation suite is also offered by HP to their global customer base.

For more information on Redwood products and solutions, please visit www.redwood.com

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Redwood, RunMyJobs, Cronacle and Cronacle Mobile are trademarks or registered trademarks of Redwood Software. All other products or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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